As a fan, one of the most exciting things to see about Tiger's latest comeback is his confidence with the putter. There were glimpses of this at the Valspar Championship a couple of weeks back. When asked in an interview about the 40 footer he made on 17 he talked about 'putting to the picture'.
Sounds easy. Think it. Sink it. Cheers TW. Well that was a short post, thanks for coming....
Putting is a real art and Tiger has had the ability to create some of the game's most iconic and inspirational pictures. Even Rory credited him with his putt on the 18th at last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational saying 'I've seen Tiger make this putt enough times to know what it does'. Rory had seen it all before, the picture was clear.
When Tiger was at his peak (if he's reached it yet), one of the things that seemed to be a given was that he would produce an absolute masterpiece when it mattered, both with and without the putter...
The flop shot at Memorial.
The putt at the 2008 US Open to get into a playoff.
The 16th at Augusta - you know the one
'In your life' have you ever seen a player that could consistently create and hit the right shots at the right time.
But this is what it takes to be great. Being able to see what's possible under pressure and make it happen. It's a quality not just limited to sport, but consistent with anyone considered great in their field. Their vision seems to become clearer the bigger the occasion. They fear less and are more decisive, more committed and more confident.
For most people (myself included), when the stakes get higher it can be impossible to find the pencil let alone draw the picture. It's in those moments that all you can see is what you don't want to do; a swift shank out of bounds, a duff into a pond, no great does that...but a Master's champion has, so there's hope for all of us (sorry Jordan, I'm sure you're reading this!)
One of the ways that I've tried to improve this is to 'play to the picture'.
It's something I've worked on and had success with, especially when I've needed to shape it around something...usually a tree (next job, is to get better at staying out of the trees!) The obstruction is directly in front of me, and the shot shape is obvious. Start it right of the tree, keep it low under the limbs and move it back to the left towards the target. The picture is clear and as a result, the execution is easier to envisage. There is no real focus on technique. It's more about seeing the ball flight then letting creativity and feel take over.
Go from behind the tree to on the tee and it's a different ball game.
When there's more choice of what shot to play you can become less decisive. It's very easy to just aim for the wide open fairway but without a specific target, the chances of producing the shot you want are reduced. You can end up missing the fairway altogether and finding trouble that you didn't even know was there, usually followed by a swear word....or 10. Try to pick a specific point in the fairway or a target in the distance that you can narrow your focus upon.
Another method I tried was to employ a caddie. Stand him ten yards in front of where you want to hit it and play a swift hook around his right knee. It proved impractical in the end and I couldn't find any more volunteers. Oh well, back to the drawing board... *
Seriously though, try to find YOUR way to create that image in your mind before you hit every shot, no matter how simple or straightforward that shot seems.
So many times I've heard members at my club say "I was playing so well, but I made about a 14 on the last to lose by one". We've all seen it in Major championships too - think Rory at Augusta in 2011. He definitely learnt from this and went on to break the scoring record that year at the U.S Open. Whether it's a monthly medal or a major, it's easy to let your mind get ahead of itself. When things are going well and you find yourself seeing victory before the round has even finished, re-focus, rehearse and react to the shot at hand. It is easier said than done. Sure Jean Van de Velde would agree to that one.
For this to work though, the picture has to be possible. If you're someone who plays predominantly with a left to right ball flight, imagining a slinging draw probably won't create that shot.
The mind game has to match your actual one.
Part of my pre-shot routine involves standing behind the ball and picturing the pro tracer line, imagining the exact flight that I want to hit, then recreating that line. This helps to give me a clear image of what I want to do. I do the same with putts, but obviously the line is along the ground. I usually try not to get my putts airborne!
There are a lot of different mental techniques that can be used to see the shot that you want to play. Everyone will have their own way to do it and it's worth taking some time to work out your own style. Whatever you choose, commit to it and be consistent. So get your imaginary paint brush out and start painting....go be Vincent Van Golf (sorry, couldn't resist!)
*Only one caddie lost a kneecap during the making of this post. He was due a replacement anyway so it worked out for the best.
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